Next-generation multicast-based Peer-to-Peer (P2P) networks offer the possibility of massively scalable distributed search networks. One such P2P network architecture is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/609,514, entitled MULTICAST QUERY PROPAGATION SCHEME FOR A PEER-TO-PEER (P2P) NETWORK, which was filed on Dec. 12, 2006 and is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. One issue with these next-generation multicast-based P2P networks is the possibility of “response implosion,” where a node issuing or relaying a query for very popular content is bombarded with unicast responses from all of the nodes sharing that content. In addition, response implosion may lead to congestion in the intermediate network near the relaying node leading to loss of packets. Since the packets are typically User Datagram Protocol (UDP) packets, the loss of packets results in permanent loss of responses due to the congestion. Further, if a reliable UDP scheme is used instead, the subsequent retransmissions due to the loss of packets may lead to even more congestion. Thus, there is a need for an improved query response scheme that alleviates or eliminates response implosion.